I found this article online "14 Mass Murders Linked To Violent Video Games"
http://www.charismanews.com/culture/52651-14-mass-murders-linked-to-violent-video-games
I wouldn't consider this a reliable source since it is coming from a spiritual perspective. In this article there were 14 mass murders and the common denominator was that they enjoyed playing violent video games. I do not think this is warranted because correlation doesn't imply causation. I know plenty of people that play violent video games and haven't had the urge to go shoot people. For example the video: The Mean World Syndrome had stated that gun sales have been increasing the same time that violence is decreasing. Some people are so wrapped up in the media and tend to only get one side of the story and believe what they see/hear without doing any research. I found one statistic that stated that youth violence has declined in recent years and that was the same time that video game popularity rose.
https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-2015-crime-statistics
Though in 2015 crime did rise 3.9 percent compared to the data in 2014.
There is no clear evidence that states that video games are a cause to gun violence.
Great examples. I too know of people who play videos games and have no interest in ever shooting anyone. Although there is no correlation, anyone could be influenced by the violent acts portrayed in video games.
ReplyDeleteI liked your point in stating that correlation doesn't imply causation. Bonus points from Dr. Barry because that's like her favorite saying. I agree also that there's no clear evidence. Gun Violence is such a complex issue
ReplyDelete